What Next: TBD

What Is Elon Musk Thinking?

A public battle over a Tesla plant closure shows what happens when big tech goes up against local government.

View Transcript
Illustration depicting a female with a microphone

Listen longer

Slate Plus members get ad-free versions of all Slate podcasts, plus extra segments, bonus episodes, and more. Try it free today.

Join Slate Plus

Episode Notes

As the coronavirus shut down manufacturing across California in March and April, Elon Musk only wanted one thing: to start making cars again.

So when local government officials in Alameda County got in his way, Musk took the fight public, and won.

Guest: Kara Swisher, co-host of the Pivot podcast.

About the Show

Every Friday, Slate’s popular daily news podcast What Next brings you TBD, a clear-eyed look into the future. From fake news to fake meat, algorithms to augmented reality, Lizzie O’Leary is your guide to the tech industry and the world it’s creating for us to live in.

All episodes

Host

  • Lizzie O’Leary is the host of What Next: TBD, Slate’s show about technology, power, and the future. Previously, she created and hosted Marketplace Weekend. She has reported for CNN, Bloomberg News, and the New York Times Magazine, among others. She is also a contributing writer at the Atlantic.